1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communication and data networks. More particularly, methods and apparatus for managing and improving power consumption during discontinuous reception (DRX) are disclosed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Mobile wireless devices are becoming increasingly full-featured and complex, and accordingly must support multiple modes of operation including for example voice calls, data streaming, and various multimedia applications. As high speed data capability is particularly significant for mobile device users, various technologies have recently been implemented to enhance mobile device capability in this regard. One exemplary high-bandwidth technology is the Long Term Evolution (LTE) wireless communications capability, which has become increasingly pervasive on mobile wireless devices (also referred to as User Equipment, or “UE”).
While enhancing data capability, LTE networks also place additional demands on mobile wireless device power consumption. Accordingly, mechanisms exist within LTE-enabled devices to mitigate power consumption. Such mechanisms may enhance user experience by not draining the user's battery at an undesirable rate. One such mechanism within LTE is known as discontinuous reception, or “DRX”, and another is discontinuous transmission or “DTX”. In LTE networks, the base station (Enhanced NodeB, or “eNB”) controls DRX operations using various timers and/or parameters that are communicated to the UE.
LTE communications are further conducted according to a time schedule that includes frames, subframes, and slots. When the UE has a radio resource connection (RRC), the UE can be allocated one or more time slots for communication. If a UE is enabled for DRX operation in RRC connected mode, the UE will wake-up and sleep in accordance with its resource allocations. During RRC idle mode, the UE does not have an active radio resource connection. The UE may periodically wake-up in order to determine whether it is being paged (e.g., UE ID within a frame of data). If the frame does not contain data destined for the UE, the UE may go back to sleep.
Unfortunately, present implementations of the DRX functionality may utilize “wake up” times (intervals) configured based on worst-case component tolerances. Such configuration may provide too generous limits for component wake-up, and therefore may result in excessive energy consumption during each DRX wake-up cycle.
Accordingly, improved methods and apparatus may be useful to further refine and more intelligently schedule operations such as DRX.